§ 22. Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken to regenerate former coalfield areas. [103274]
§ Ms Beverley HughesOn 1 December 1998 at the second Coalfields Conference in Peterlee, County Durham, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a 10 year programme to regenerate coalfield communities with an investment package of £354 million over three years. A fuller breakdown of this investment and further steps to 113W be taken are set out in "Making the Difference—A new Start for England's Coalfield Communities: The Government's Response to the Coalfields Task Force Report".
The Deputy Prime Minister published a further report at the third Coalfields Conference in Wigan on 18 October 1999, in less than a year since Peterlee, setting out progress on delivery of the recommendations of the Coalfields Task Force. Copies of both these documents have been placed in the Library of the House.